Jackson’s Crisis What were his fights and why were they important?

Jackson’s Crisis

What were his fights and why were they important?

The Bank

• Why did Jackson try to destroy the National Bank?

• Thought the bank was too powerful.

• Thought it was undemocratic.

• It only gave money to the wealthy. Hurt farmers and regular Americans.

The Bank War

• What happened in the “war?”

• 1832, Clay and Webster convinced bank president Biddle to apply for a new Charter.

• Congress agreed.• Jackson was furious and vetoed the bill.• Clay and Webster made the bank the

key issue in the election of 1832. • Jackson said he would destroy the bank

if re-elected. • He defeated Clay and took it as a sign

that the people wanted the bank dead.• He ordered Secretary of the Treasury,

Roger Taney to take out all money and deposits into the state (pet) banks.

The Results• What was the

result of Jackson’s “war” against the bank?

• No controls left on the state banks. • Economic crisis and a depression during

the presidency of Martin Van Buren.• Van Buren would only serve one term and

was defeated by William Henry Harrison in 1840. Harrison (ran as a regular American) was a wealthy Whig.

• Planned to restore the bank • He got sick and died only 90 days into his

presidency. • VP John Tyler refused to support a new

bank• The economy would continue to yo-yo for

the next 100 years!• Tyler would be kicked out of the Whig

Party and only serve one term.

Nullification

• Why did the crisis occur?

• Sectionalism had been growing since Hamilton’s plan and the Era of Good Feelings (Tariff of 1816).

• Tariff of Abominations (highest in history) passed in 1828

• Jackson insists on enforcing the law.

• Calhoun (his VP) is insulted and quits.

• He is named as a senator and returns to Washington with the goal of fighting Jackson and the tariff.

The Crisis

• What happened in the crisis?

• Months of arguing, (Webster in favor of the national government vs. Calhoun for the states)

• Clay convinced Congress to pass a new, lower tariff (Compromise Tariff of 1832).

• SC passed the Nullification Act – claimed that the state had the right to ignore any law that they did not agree with.

• Jackson was furious. • He convinced Congress to pass the

Force Act: law gave Jackson the power to use the army to force South Carolina to pay the tariff.

• South Carolina backed down because no other state supported them.

Results

• What was the result of the Nullification Crisis?

• Hard feelings in the South over the abuses of government power.

• Fear of presidential power • Hint of things to come in the

future – Civil War

Indian Removal

• Why did Indian Removal occur?

• Demand for farmland Government was willing to break treaties with the natives.

• What “the people” wanted• Jackson set land aside West

of the Mississippi to “protect” the natives

• Goal: to have all natives east of the river moved there.

Removal• How were

native removed from the east?

• Cherokees – sued, claiming that they had a treaty with the Federal government.

• Worchester v. Georgia: Supreme Court ruled that they had the right to the land and Georgia had no right to take it

• Jackson refused to enforce the court’s decision.

• Convinced Congress to pass the Indian Removal Act.

• Ordered the army to force the Cherokees to move.

• Other groups fought the movement – Seminoles and Black Hawk

Results

• What were the results of Indian Removal?

• Trail of Tears – over 15,000 Cherokees (mostly elderly and children) died (forced to walk from Georgia to Oklahoma).

• Native cultures destroyed: Lives based on their environment –everything they knew would be different

• Led to social problems (alcoholism and gambling): entire cultures devastated.

• Natives east of the Mississippi were all forced on reservation lands.